Seeing is Believing
by waitingforthefrost
Summary: Olivia Ajax is nearly 17 years old when the rumors start, and she goes from an ordinary girl to the school psycho in weeks. Olivia would just brush it off, but there is a certain truth to the words: She sees people that nobody else sees. She started seeing Jack Frost at age five, and never stopped seeing him, and still believes in the Guardians that were tossed aside by her peers.
1. Prologue

Olivia wandered the snow-blanketed streets, one of her crochet scarves wrapped snugly around her neck. Her breath echoed against the frosted air in white puffs. Not a single soul was around but for the girl, they were likely indoors next to a warm fire looking out at the snow instead of venturing out into it.

But Olivia cared not, to her the frosty world meant something, and she knew her favorite park would be beautiful with all the snow around.

The snow crunched underneath her boots, her thick winter coat barely helping against the cold. She was numb to it. Living in an outskirt of Spokane, Washington, they found harsh climates in the winter months and rain the rest of the year. So she was used to it by now, having grown up in the town.

She took in another frosty breath, turning the last corner to the park, which greeted her with a warm familiarity. Each tree was ingrained in her memory- it was one of her favorite places to go, ever since she was a child. Nobody else really went there except for her, the rest of the kids said it was haunted because it was right across from a cemetery. But for her, it was the perfect place to walk and think.

Icicles spiked down some of the trees, others simply buried in the snow. Newly planted saplings were barely noticeable in the sea of white. The beauty of the world around her always astounded her. Especially the willow.

Each strand had been frozen over, making it look like an eerie wall of ice. She gave a small 'heh' to herself lifting gloved hands to her earmuffs to make sure they were secure before she opened the frozen tendrils of the willow tree to find her silent oasis underneath.

Light reflected in fractals around the underbelly of the tree like a beautiful light show.

She sighed, her breath still showing. It was easy to get caught up in the beauty of it all, but she had a reason she had come here. She had been waiting for a snowfall like this one for a week. Ever since-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the rustling of the frozen leaves. Turning on her heel, she found herself face to face with the boy she had grown up seeing.

Jack Frost.

"Did you miss me?" He said, playfully.

She didn't reply, but her face grew stone hard as she avoided looking him in the eye.

He walked over, looking at her. "Olivia?" A scared expression adorned his face, as if he was scared he wasn't seen.

"I can see you, Jack."

She pretended she didn't see the sigh of relief that came from the teenage boy with hair as white as the snow he brought.

"Olivia? What's wrong?"

She swallowed, a lump growing in her throat as the other kids' words reverberated in her head.

"Jack, I'm nearly 17 now…"

"I know, your birthday is next week."

She shut her eyes, trying to keep the tears away. "Jack, how come I can still see you?"

He seemed offended. "What do you mean? It's because you believe. Is… Am I a problem?"

Olivia bit her rosy lips. "I… Jack… My mom heard me talking to you. She… She thinks I'm crazy."

Jack seemed stunned. Angry, even.

"Via, you're the oldest believer I have… You aren't crazy, alright? I'm right here."

Olivia shrunk away from his hand as it reached for her shoulder.

"But how do I know that I didn't just make you up?"


	2. Chapter 1

It's mid November when all the autumn leaves have been plucked from their trees and the skies turn grey enough for snow.

Living in Washington, Olivia was used to grey skies and the never ending wind that blew her long ash brown hair in the wrong direction. Her hometown was pretty average in size, a suburb of the city Spokane. In the summer, children bounded across the sidewalks, playing hopscotch and tag, relishing in the sun that only came ever so often. Parents watched from their porches, teenagers skateboarded around empty church parking lots and skipped their morning classes for an extra hour of sleep. There was nothing very significant about the town that Olivia knew of, but she loved it. The constant routine, the never ending cycle of days as the seasons changed.

Her favorite season was the brief season in between fall and winter, where frost would delicately coat the glass on the inside of her car and the dirt in her front lawn would freeze over in crystals, the morning dew frozen onto the grass and turning it a lighter shade of green. She loved the smells, the way her nose would be numb from the morning air, the grey skies and the icy breeze of the wind. She loved the peace that it brought in an ever so boring town.

Olivia had walked to school all her life- in her opinion, the buses were stinky and crowded. It was a short walk, only about fifteen minutes, and she enjoyed the walk every morning, passing Belridge park and the cemetery next to it. Among all things, walking was one of her favorite things to do. It helped her keep her mind off of things.

Today was one of those mornings, where nothing could keep her from smiling. Even as she came upon the high school, she was smiling. She smiled until the second bell rang and school started, and the teacher started to drone on about parabolas and asymptotes. The boredom took over and she found herself gazing out of the window and staring at the wind blowing an oak tree outside.

Just when she was about to try to pay attention, a haze of blue and white landed in front of the window and lifted a hooked staff to it, tapping it.

Olivia smiled again as frost crackled along the clear glass. _Hello, Jack,_ she thought.

At lunch, Olivia hurried outside, brushing shoulders with several people. Just as she was about to get to the door, another girl stepped in front of her, hands on hips. She had dark skin and chocolate eyes that bore into Olivia's soul.

Trying not to curse in her head, Olivia smiled. "What's up, Anna?"

"You're acting weird."

Anna was Olivia's best- and only- friend at the school. They were like two peas in a pod after they met in the eighth grade. They both liked the same shows, had mostly the same hobbies, they were the perfect match for best friends.

"What do you mean?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "First of all, you're staring out of the window all of Home Ec with googly eyes, now you're leaving the school for lunch as soon as possible- it's freezing out there!"

It was Olivia's turn to scoff. "It's nothing, Anna." She went to walk past the girl but was stopped by a firm hand.

"The truth. Now."

Olivia's eyes widened at the fierceness her friend was displaying. Usually she was smooth as butter.

"I've seen you the past few days. You're never like this…" She cocked her head to the side. "Olivia, what aren't you telling me?"

Olivia glanced behind her at the school doors.

Anna grinned. "It's a boy, isn't it?"

"What? No!" Olivia denied the claim, but at the same time, Anna wasn't entirely wrong. Jack was a boy, and she was about to go see him. But not like that. And she couldn't tell Anna that. She wasn't supposed to tell anybody that.

"Seriously, what boy would it be? In _this_ school?" Olivia tried to make light of the subject. "I just want to eat outside today."

Anna scoffed. "You're crazy. In _this_ weather? At least let me come with you-"  
"-NO!" Olivia said, a little too loud and a little too fast. "I mean, I want to eat alone…" The eyes on her back made her bite her lip nervously.

"You know what? Lie all you want. Have fun eating your lunch cold and alone, psycho."

Olivia felt slight offense at the comment. As Anna stormed away, frustrated at her friend, eyes were pinned on the short girl. Her cheeks growing hot, Olivia turned on her heel and walked in the other direction and out the door, where she was met with the smell of freezing water.

Walking the paved sidewalks, puddles of ice lined the curb as she got close to the only bench on campus. Nobody else was outside as far as she knew, and that was better for her. She waited for a moment, looking around and taking in the silence of the world.

Then, the boy walked up to her. He had hair as white as the snow that he brought, with a blue hoodie and bare feet. She smiled again.

"Hey, Frostbite."

He smirked. "Hey, Livia." There was a pause. "Didja miss me?"

She looked at the ground. "You know how I am. You bring my favorite season."

"It's been a while, that's for sure. You've gotten taller since last I saw you. Still not taller than me, though," Jack teased lifting his hand in comparison.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I'm five foot two, that's average, not _short_."

"Same difference," he said, although he was only around 5'6" himself.

"So, how have you been?" Jack said, leaning on his staff which hooked above him.

"I've been alright," she said, shifting a little in her seat. "I haven't been doing much- except crochet. Oh!" She exclaimed, reaching a hand into her coat pocket. Out of it she pulled a tiny crochet snowflake. "I made it for you a week ago in preparation for your visit."

Jack smiled a little. "For me?"

Olivia nodded, blushing a little in hopes she hadn't made things awkward as she extended the gift to her friend. He took it, thumbing it over in his palm. He grinned widely, his eyes sparkling.

"What about you, Jack? How were things down in the southern hemisphere?"

"Eh, you know how things are," Jack said, shrugging. "The southern hemisphere is never as fun as it is up here. Besides, most of my believers are up here." He laughed a bit to himself. "Though I did have some fun in the Andes. Those people really know how to sled…"

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Is this weird to you?" Jack said, out of the blue.

Olivia furrowed her brow. "Is what weird?"

"You know… Being my second oldest believer… Nobody else your age can see me. Is it weird?"

Olivia looked at the ground. "I never really thought about it. It's not like anybody else knows, so it doesn't really matter what they think. You're a good friend of mine."

Jack smiled. "Don't stop believing. Hold onto the hopes and dreams. The memories we had. Remember when we first met?"

She laughed to herself. "How could I forget?"

"Good. Don't forget."

Cocking her head to one side, Olivia sported a worried expression. "Are you okay, Jack? I feel like something's bothering you."

He looked away, at the sidewalks, shuffling his feet and watching as frost bloomed out from underneath his toes. "It's nothing," he said.

"You sure?" She was slightly curious, but more worried.

"Yeah, it's just… Just another believer gone. Nothing to worry about. It happens all the time."

She sighed. She knew the story well of how the guardians had risen from their sitting place and brought back hope to a dark and dreary world. She remembered the easter when no eggs came, when she stopped believing. Then she remembered having the dreams about the easter bunny and receiving a basketful of eggs three days later. And she knew about the few believers that Jack had gathered that fateful night.

"Was it Jamie?"

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh, no, not Jamie. Just… Just Pippa."

Olivia stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you've still got me, alright? And I'll never stop believing in you."

Jack gave a halfhearted smile. "Thanks, Livi."

Without warning, she pulled him in and hugged him, and though Jack was surprised, he hugged her back in a cold embrace. "No problem, Frostbite," she said.

"Well, I should be going." Jack said, pulling away. "I'll be back every few days, just keep an eye out for me!" He called, saluting before leaping into the sky, carried by a gust of wind. Olivia watched, grinning.

Behind one of the school windows, someone tapped their cell phone screen and stopped a recording.


End file.
